Treats and Tricks
by Arldetta
Summary: Teen!Chesters.  It's Halloween and Dean has been given a challenge.  Not one to back away, he faces it head on, but will he survive?   Hurt!Dean.  Now complete. Please R&R. Thanks!
1. Superman

Howdy folks, I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but what can I say? My muse really is a fickle bitch. Anyway, I do still plan on finishing _Skin __Deep_, especially since I am so close to the end. But my muse decided on an extended summer vacation and when she came back, she tied me down and told me to type up this story. Then she added in the extra challenge of making each chapter approximately 1 page (my typical chapter averages 5 pgs long.) That being said, the bad news is that the chapters are short. The good news is that the story is already complete! Yeah! Which means I will be posting a chapter a day right up to Halloween, plus a couple days.

I have always wanted to write a Halloween fic, but never really managed it. One of my old Star Wars stories came close but it didn't seem to fit the bill for me. Anyway, I hope you like this little diddy. It's nothing spectacular. Not even that original, and highly predictable. Still it was fun to write and hopefully fun to read.

Timing of this fic is pre-teenchesters, about. My muse has the boys at 13 and 9, it could be a little earlier but not much later. _A __Supernatural __Christmas_ has not happened yet. Well, please forgive the clichés and enjoy!

**Treats and Tricks**

- SPN: 1 Superman -

"But why not?" Sammy whined at his brother.

"Because." Dean answered automatically.

"That's not an answer! Why can't we go out?"

"You know the rules. Dad said we could only go to school, the library and here."

Sammy pouted. "Well, dad's not here. I don't see why we can't go. Everyone else does this all the time, why can't we?"

"It's not safe." Dean repeated the words his father always threw at him. He wasn't trying to mock his brother or be mean, just repeated what he always heard. His real focus was scrounging through the meager excuse for a kitchenette for something to eat. Their father was already 4 days overdue and they ran out of money almost a week ago. They were out of food, the last of the Lucky Charms devoured greedily by his brother that morning. His stomach growled angrily.

"If it wasn't safe, then no one would be out there, would they? Why can't we be like everyone else?"

"Because we're not like everyone else."

"Well, I want to be. I'm tired of moving and changing schools all the time. I want to be normal. Please Dean, can't we go just this once?"

"I said no. Dad could be back at any minute, we have to be ready. We're staying here." Dean sighed. He really didn't want to fight. He was tired and hungry and worried. He had nothing to feed his brother, let alone himself. And they had no money. How the hell was he supposed to take care of Sammy? He had to feed him something.

Crossing his arms and scowling at Dean's back, Sammy knew he had hit the impassable road block already in his argument. If he was going to get his way he would have to find a new tactic. And the one he chose to pursue next unwittingly played on Dean's doubts and fears. Shifting into a more relaxed pose, he tossed out there, "Mike from school says that there's a house on Harris Street that gives out whole candy bars every year, but you have to get there early because once they run out, they're done."

Out of the mouths of babes. Sammy provided an answer. Oh it went against everything he was ordered to do, but what choice did they have? Who knew when their father would be back? This was a chance to get some kind of food for free. If their dad came back now, they would get into some trouble, sure, but if he wasn't back for a few more days or weeks even, this could give them enough to hold out. Nutrition be damned. Food was food, even candy. Desperate times and all that.

Apparently, his stomach agreed, growling again in anticipation. After all, the last time he ate was two days ago. Sucking in a deep breath, he glanced over his shoulder to his eager young brother. The puppy dog expression in full swing. Damn it. His shoulders fell. "Fine, but for only like an hour and then we get back here on the double, got it?"

Sammy cheered excitedly and spun around, barely listening to his brother. Darting to their bedroom he shouted, "I'll get the pillow cases!"

Dean couldn't help the grin that crept up on him. He loved to see Sammy so happy and excited. He remembered his own excitement when he was just a kid (not that he was a grown up or anything now.) He realized the last time he had done this was just before their mom died. He had been Superman, red cape and all. It seemed like a dream now.

And his idea of heroes had definitely changed. Superman wasn't real. The real heroes of this world were the ones like his dad, who went out to fight evil. He didn't need a colorful costume any more to pretend to be a superhero. Instead, he wore his costume every day. He emulated his father. And that's all the hero he needed.

-SPN-

Well, that's the end of chapter 1. Nice easy start, right? We got a few more to go, and don't worry the next chap will be up tomorrow. Of course a review here and there would be really, really awesome! Come on, share some virtual candy with me! Hehe.

Catch you all tomorrow!

~Ari :D


	2. Treats

Well, I was hoping to have a few reviews, but that's ok. I've got a lot of chapters to post. Hope you enjoy this one.

-SPN-

It took Dean another twenty minutes to get ready before the pair finally left the motel room. His father had always told him how Halloween was more than a night of tricks and treats, but when the vale between our world and the spirit world were closest. It always got busier for him around this time of year and they had to be careful. So Dean considered his father's basic rule when heading out into unknown danger; when you don't know what you'll be facing better be prepared for everything.

So his pillow case already looked half full when they walked out. He had the sawed off, some extra Salt shells, a small canister of salt, a lighter and his silver knife that he got for his birthday. In his mind he was ready for anything. And praying he didn't have to use any of it.

Walking behind Sammy, he watched the kid run around and hit the first row of houses they came across. Sammy would then bring it all back and toss it in Dean's bag to cover the weaponry. By the time they made it to Harris Street, they were both hefting decent sized pillow cases.

Kids were running around everywhere. Excitement filled the air. For the first time in a long time, Dean felt like a kid again. Sammy was laughing and that made any trouble they could get into all worth it. The hour was up before they knew it and Dean was reluctant to take his brother home. He wanted to enjoy this time of fun and camaraderie a little longer. So he stretched it a little.

But he should have known better. He should have known life was never going to give them a real break.

They were on Lupus Lane, a few blocks away from the motel, and there weren't as many kids around. They were done with this section. Only thing between them and the motel was a park. It was time to head back. Sammy bustling with joy bounced in front of Dean. "Thanks Dean! This was Awesome!"

"No problem, kiddo. Just ration out your bounty, no need to eat it all tonight when we get back."

"I won't." Sammy smiled and jumped at Dean, giving him an awkward hug. Leaning back he looked up at his brother. Just as Dean managed to pull an arm free to rustle his hair, Sammy jerked backward out of reach. "Hey, race you back?"

"Why bother, you know you're going to lose?"

"No I won't! Bet you half of my bag."

Smirking, Dean agreed, "You're on." Grinning, Sammy darted off. Dean let him get a little lead because he knew he could easily over take him if he wanted.

Sammy was just about to run past the park entrance when he suddenly slammed into a roadblock. Startled by the impact, Sammy looked up to see an older boy glaring down at him. From behind, he heard Dean shout, "Hey, that's my brother!" Two strong hands grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, but didn't let go.

-SPN-

Alright! Even in short chapters I can manage to pull a cliffie here and there. Thanks again for reading! And don't forget to share the candy- I mean love- and review. ;)

Until tomorrow,

~Ari :D


	3. Deals

Dean jogged up as two dark figures stepped out from the park and grabbed his brother. All sense of fun died instantly. He recognized the pair now that he was closer. Growling, he demanded, "What do you two losers want?"

"Oh, I think you know, Winchester." The taller of the two answered.

Jake "The Hammer" Hammond and Jeremy "Jezzer" Mays. The biggest, brutest, bullies from the High School football team. And even though they weren't in school together, Dean had managed to piss them off. One of his classmates, Ricky Wayde, was outside the school one afternoon waiting for his older sister to pick him up. Needless to say, Lori was hot. He had to go and introduce himself. And while they were talking these two bozos showed up out of no where and started harassing her.

Well, he couldn't just stand there and he did the only thing he could think of. He politely asked them to leave her alone. And when they ignored him, he cleared his throat and put himself between them. Their irritation clearly evident, it didn't take them long to decide to use brute force to remove him. Which meant he would either have to take a beating or defend himself. And his father always told him to defend himself, which he happily did.

The fight was over before it began when he kneed them both and they went down hard. Dean, Ricky and Lori walked away without another thought about it. That had been about a week ago and Dean had been wondering how long it would take for their hurt pride to demand retaliation. Guess he finally found out.

"Fine, you two want a real beat down this time, let's go. But first you gotta let go of my brother. My dad's waiting for us."

"Dean," Sammy gasped.

"Why should we, Winchester?" Hammer asked. His grip tightening causing Sammy to hiss.

Dean's expression darkened; eyes narrowed. His tone calm and deadly. "Because you don't want the world of hurt coming at you if anything happens to him."

The certainty in Dean's voice made the two bullies step back slightly. Even Sammy had never heard and seen his brother like this, it was scary.

The jocks glanced at each other and decided on their next move silently. "Fine, our beef's with you anyway."

"Good, then let him go."

Hammer pushed Sammy toward Dean roughly, making the kid almost lose his balance. Dean didn't look at Sammy, his gaze locked on the two idjits that dared threaten his brother. "Go home, Sammy. Tell dad I ran into some friends and will be back later."

Worriedly, Sammy looked between his would-be assailants and his brother. He wasn't just worried about Dean getting hurt but also for getting into trouble for fighting those older boys. Desperately, he looked up at his brother, "Dean…dad won't…."

"Now Sammy!" Dean ordered, making his baby brother jump. Sammy looked on the verge of tears. He knew this would be hard on the kid. Dad wasn't really home to back them up and he knew Sammy hated being alone. But what could he do? A threat had been made toward his family. He couldn't let it go. Still, he made a huge effort to pull some of his anger back when he spoke again. "It's ok Sammy. I'll be home soon. Promise."

Not trusting himself to speak, Sammy nodded. Looked at the two jerks then darted passed them toward the motel.

Now that Dean knew his brother was safe, he glared daggers at the pair. "So let's do this." He put his sack of candy down and took up a fighting stance.

His oppressors looked him up and down then started laughing. "Oh, we're not going to _fight_ you Winchester."

"Why? You afraid you'll lose."

"Not really, we got more friends who are bigger and meaner than us."

"Bring 'em on, I prefer a straight fight."

"Naw, can't do that, as much as I'm sure we'd enjoy it. Too many games coming up and can't afford to be caught fighting and benched. Got another offer for ya."

"I ain't gonna tell, if you don't."

"Think you're so brave, Winchester, don't ya?" Dean stared at them annoyed. This was getting them no where, he just wanted the smack down to be done and over with so he could go home to Sammy. "So here's the deal since you're so brave, there's this old house on the other side of the park here that's supposed to be haunted. If you can stay in there til midnight, we'll leave you and your brother alone."

-SPN-

OK, on this chapter I would like to apologize profusely to the boys of Top Gear. I love their show and when I was trying to come up with names these just popped in there. I know the nick names aren't exactly right, but there is a reason, you'll see. I didn't mean to make you bullies, sorry! Anyway, couldn't help the Star Wars ref either. It suited Han and it suits Dean too. C'est la vie.

Well, another chapter down. Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming! My muse could still use some encouragement to finish my other story.

~Ari :D


	4. House

"It that all?" Dean asked smugly.

"What, not scary enough for you?"

Jezzer added, "Yeah, they say some old coot used to live there with his daughter. He killed her and then started killing off some of the boys in the town. Called him some kind of witch. Before an angry mob finally came dragged him out and hung him from a tree in his own front yard."

Dean wasn't scared. In fact, now he was feeling very confident. He knew every town had one of these types of houses with this kind of story. Some rumour that was started a long time ago to scare bad kids. Which is exactly what it was, a rumour. After all, if it was real, his Dad wouldn't have left them so close to it if he hadn't taken care of it. John may not be the best father in the world but he did do what he could to make his boys safe. It was probably just some dilapidated house where some old man once lived that kept to himself and not knowing what to make of him people built the story around him and it morphed into this.

"Boy you guys, picked the wrong dude for this." He muttered under his breath. Smiling up at them, he grabbed his pillow case and announced, "Come on, let's go." When the duo didn't move, he mocked them. "What? Didn't think I would do it? Sack up boys and lead the way, unless you're too afraid."

That did the trick. Hammer and Jezzer scowled and moved toward the park. "We're not scared of anything."

The trio walked through the park silently. The noise and excitement along the streets quieting down as the night wore on. It didn't take them too long to reach the other side. Once there, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee lead them down a street that only had a few houses on it and they all looked old and barely livable.

Finally they came to a stop in front of another rickety old house that had no lights on, the grass was all dead along with most of the landscaping. There was a large Oak in the front yard that was also dead, it's branches resembling a skeleton in the moonlight. Even still, there was one large branch that looked like it had been cut off.

The place looked like the cliché Haunted House. It was almost comical. Dean would have laughed if he suddenly didn't get a chill racing up his spine.

Jezzer broke the silence as he announced, "That's it. The old Sanderson place. Still feeling brave?"

Rolling his eyes, Dean chuckled, "Bring it, bitches." He glanced at his watch and frowned. It was only coming up to 10 now. Midnight was two hours away. Two hours too long in his mind to be away from Sammy. But he didn't have much choice now. He'd already agreed and there was no turning back. Besides, if he did this then they shouldn't bother them again and that was always a good thing. Still he just hoped Sammy locked himself in the motel room and waited until Dean got back, whenever that was.

He moved to open the gate and stepped inside. He left the gate ajar and glanced at his antagonists. They were watching his every move. Smirking he asked nonchalantly, "Not coming?"

"This is your challenge Winchester, not ours."

"Too scared, that's ok, I get it. But I would only call this a challenge if I didn't think I could do it, which I know I can. Will you girls still be waiting here when I'm done?"

"We're not scared!"

Unlike, Jezzer's outburst, Hammer stood calm and cool when he spoke. "Oh and we'll wait. We want to be here when you come out screaming."

"Whatever, dudes." Ignoring his chickenshit companions, Dean headed toward the house.

With each step, his gut tightened further and further. Something didn't exactly feel right to him, but he dismissed it, banking on his father's judgment.

The boards creaked under his weight as he climbed the steps to the front porch. Grasping the door handle, Dean twisted it open and walked inside.

-SPN-

Well, I hoped those of you who are reading enjoyed this chap. I would really appreciate it if you dropped a review to let me know. Doesn't have to be long. Anything really would be AWESOME!

Anyway, just a quick nod to _Hocus__Pocus_ here. After all this is a Halloween fic. ;)

Thanks again for reading! See ya tomorrow.

~Ari :D


	5. Crosses

The inside of the house looked as dead as the outside only not as weather beaten. It was still a shambles with furniture rodent eaten and knocked about. The curtains were moth eaten shreds. Jesus on the cross was hanging over the mantelpiece along the far wall. Few other decorations adorned the walls.

A staircase was right in front of him leading up to the second floor. A sliding door cut off the room to his right. And near the back he could see the archway leading into the kitchen beyond. A typical old layout.

Dean couldn't stop himself from jumping slightly when the front door swung closed behind him. It set his nerves on edge. Cut off and alone, Dean started to think that this stupid bet wasn't such a good idea.

Cautiously, he put his sack of candy down on the floor beside the door. Then he rummaged through it to find his real stash. Fishing out the shotgun shells he counted them again; six. He suddenly wished he brought a dozen more. Ignoring the gnawing sensation in his gut, he shoved them in his pockets. Then he withdrew the sawed off and placed it on the floor next to him so he could find his knife.

Grabbing at the leather sheath, he tucked it in to the back of his jeans. Lastly, he grabbed for the canister of salt he brought. It wasn't very big. It was bigger than a salt shaker but not by much. He wished he had the huge canisters his dad always dragged with them. Squeezing it into another pocket, Dean decided he was as ready as he would ever be.

He took a deep steadying breath and put his game face on. If he was going to do this, then he could at least do what his dad taught them. He took up his shotgun and checked the barrels quickly; two shells loaded. Total of eight shots. He hoped he had enough.

Rule 1: Know your surroundings. It was time to case the joint and see what he could find. And for the first time in his life, he was really thankful on how hard their father had pushed him for his training. Seemed like it was going to be put in full force earlier than either of them expected.

He brought the shotgun up in a ready position and began to slowly make his way around the front room. There really wasn't much more to it than his initial assessment. When he got close to the fire place he could see a picture of a family lying flat. He reached out and looked at it.

A stern man stood behind a frail looking woman in a chair with a child – girl he assumed from the story – on her lap. Putting it down, he recognized a rosary laid out carefully. Next to that was a wooden box. He flicked open the clasp and opened it to reveal a carefully crafted pipe. Lastly, some nice tall silver candlesticks stood at each end of the mantel.

Finishing his sweep, he moved through the archway and into the kitchen. A wooden table with four chairs sat in the middle of the room. The room itself wasn't that big. Only one wall had cabinets which was split in the middle by an oversized ceramic sink and a window above it. Some clay jars sat on the counter. A smaller cross was placed on the wall. There was no refrigerator like the kind he was most familiar with. Just some old icebox. And the stove was a wood burning model.

Not really too interested in looking through each drawer and cupboard, he decided to move on. There was a small pantry to the back of the kitchen and before that was another door. He imagined it opened up to that other room and he was right. When he stepped through the door swung closed behind him.

Again, it was nothing he didn't expect. Two large sitting chairs in the middle. Some desks and tables around the room. One bookshelf that really didn't have many books and another small fireplace along the wall. He also found another cross hanging on the wall. _Great,__a__religious__nut._ He wondered why more religious people couldn't be like Pastor Jim. He didn't preach to them all the time and let them make their own choice about God and all that hoopla. But he was always there to help you find and build your faith if you wanted it.

The first floor was done and Dean relaxed marginally. Perhaps he was letting their crappy life get the better of him. This place wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Probably just overreacting, given the circumstances. This should be a piece of cake after all.

And he felt that way, right up until he heard the floor creek behind him. Swinging hastily around, he saw nothing. All the hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention. Then he heard it again. It was coming from the kitchen. He pulled his gun up to the ready and slowly made his way back. A shadow moved across the bottom of the door, but no more noise. Coming up to the door, he reached out and grabbed the handle. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Dean flung the door open in one swift motion, ready to fire.

-SPN-

Well, first off, I don't mean to offend anyone with any religious implications, but then again, I would imagine you shouldn't be considering all the lore and beliefs being thrown around in the show.

Second, is anyone out there really reading this? If so, please review. My muse is getting very discouraged and I don't think I'll be able to convince her to stick around and finish my other stories if she gets too depressed. A little virtual love goes a long way!

I promise things will get more exciting here on out. Well, see you all again tomorrow.

~Ari :D


	6. Joke

Twin yelps could be heard followed by Dean's own shout of anger. "You assholes!"

"What the hell, Winchester!" Hammer bellowed.

"You're lucky I didn't shoot you idjits!"

Jezzer squeaked from behind his friend, "A shotgun? What ya have that for?"

"Don't worry, it wouldn't have killed you." Dean reassured them gruffly then added, "Mores the pity."

"What kind of game you playing at Winchester?" Hammer barked.

"Your game you moron. And I thought you two girls were waiting outside."

"We were just trying to scare you. Didn't know you were packing." Hammer gesticulated at the Shot gun still at ready in Dean's grasp.

"Yeah, where'd you get the gun anyway?" Jezzer asked.

Dean scowled. "It's mine, I brought it."

Incredulous, the shorter boy wondered, "What were you carrying a gun around for?"

"To rid the world of morons like you. Time to go." Dean was utterly done with this stupid deal anyway. He pushed past the dork duo and headed for the front room to get his sack.

The other two trailed behind, still trying to wrap their head around what exactly happened. Jezzer chimed in, "But you said it wouldn't kill us." Dean ignored him.

Hammer realized what Dean was doing and grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, this isn't over yet."

"Oh I think it is." Dean answered. He scooped up the bag and turned to glare at both of them. "Look, it's late, my dad's waiting and I say we go home. I also think it would be best if none of us mentioned this little incident. You can see I'm not running out of here a quivering mess and you two are lucky you're not walking out shot. You leave me and my brother alone, I leave you alone. Win-win."

He turned around and went to yank the door open. It didn't budge. Frustrated, he turned back to the jocks and demanded, "Alright, what did you do to the door?"

"We didn't do anything. We came through the back."

The group headed to the back door in the kitchen. Again, Dean tried to pull it open to no avail. His irritation growing steadily. He glared daggers at them. "Very funny. Now tell me what you did."

Both protested, "We swear, we didn't do anything!"

Growling his frustration, Dean went back into the front room and headed for a window facing the porch. Pushing with all his might, it held fast. This was really starting to piss him off. Not caring about the vandalism, he took a step back and swung the shotgun at the glass. But instead of hearing the pane shattering, he heard a smack and felt the gun bounce off without a scratch.

Shocked, the group stood there dumbfounded. The temperature in the room seemed to drop at that moment. Dean watched as the moisture of his breath hung in the air briefly. "Oh shit," barely made it passed his lips when all three boys abruptly found themselves flying through the air in all directions.

-SPN-

I know you all saw it coming, but come on, time to get this party started right? Someone grab some snacks. There's mountain dew in the fridge. Who's with me?

Until tomorrow,

~Ari :D


	7. Story

Three umphs filled the room as all three boys came crashing down. Dean recovered first. Glancing around he found the two jocks trying to sit up dazedly. They needed to get out of there, and fast. Scrambling to his feet, Dean picked up his shot gun and headed for the closest boy, which turned out to be Hammer.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded when Dean came up.

"Sanderson, I'd wager." Dean responded matter-of-factly.

Hammer scoffed, "Yeah right."

But before Dean could elaborate, the two heard Jezzer cry out. They turned to see him flying through the air again and hitting the wall. Scurrying over, they scooped him up and Dean ordered, "Upstairs, now. Get into a room."

Amazingly enough the two boys quickly complied. The group ran up the stairs, the boards moaning their displeasure under the sudden weight. Dean pushed them toward a room at the end of the hall. Hammer burst inside followed by Jezzer then Dean.

The young Hunter went to work automatically. Slamming the door shut, he yanked out the canister of salt he had and started spreading it across the bottom of the door. When he was done, he looked around and saw to his relief only one small window. Ignoring the questions being thrown at him, Dean rushed over and covered the sill. The salt was all but gone now. Not good, but not much else he could do about it right at the moment.

He started searching the room for anything else he could use as a weapon. It was a small bedroom. Nightstand and oil lamp tucked into the corner. A small wardrobe took up most of one wall with a dresser along another. He also noted that another crucifix was hanging on the wall as well. _Religious __zealots __bordering __on __fanatical._ Dean frowned. Somehow they always seemed to be the worst kind of ghosts.

Hammer finally had enough of being ignored. He put himself right in front of Dean, arms crossed. "What the hell is going on, Winchester?"

Rolling his eyes, Dean muttered, "You know, I have a first name."

"Cut the wisecracks and tell us what the hell happened down there!"

"I already told you. Sanderson."

"Stop lying and tell us the truth."

"I am! Isn't this the whole reason we're here. You wanted to scare me with some haunted house crap, right? Well, it wasn't just a story after all." Dean admitted begrudgingly. He should have known better. Nothing was ever just a story. Every story started from some fact. And if he was ever going to find a way out of this he was going to have to weed out the facts from fiction.

"Look, I know this is all a little hard to believe, but maybe the fact that we're all trapped in here together right now will help you move beyond that. But what I really need from you guys right now is every detail you can give me about Sanderson."

They all jumped when something started banging on the door. Terrified, the two jocks stared at the door. But Dean's gaze bore into them. "And I need you to tell me, right now."

-SPN-

I know, not all that exciting but necessary. Anyway, on to the party! Let's play some games. Bobbing for apples anyone? Oh and don't mind the boiler underneath, that's just for show, honest!

Just wanted to say Hi to tall those lurkers out there. –waves- Thanks for reading, I love watching my stats, so I'm very happy to see all of you. Of course I would really love it if you dropped me a quick hi in return. That would be AWESOME!

Well, until tomorrow,

~Ari :D


	8. Ash

Jezzer snapped out of it enough to glare back at Dean. "Are you kidding? That maniac is out there trying to kill us and you want us to tell you a ghost story?"

"If you tell me then I can figure out a way out of this so we don't add to this _ghost __story_. Besides, we're safe for now. He can't get in. Now spill." Another bang rattled the door.

Hammer looked at the wobbly salt line and baulked. "What? That?" He pointed at the line. "That's keeping the thing out? What is it?" Thump, thump, bang.

"Salt. And I'm still not hearing what I need to hear." One final bump, then nothing. The trio waited for a moment in silence and let out a collective sigh. It was gone, for now.

"Salt? That's it? This has got to be some kind of joke." Hammer stormed over to the bed and collapsed into it. It creaked beneath him.

The jock was really starting to wear on Dean's nerves. "It's working ain't it, now tell me about Sanderson."

There was a pregnant pause that filled the room. Dean anxiously awaiting a reply. After a lengthy quiet minute, Jezzer sighed. He could tell Hammer wasn't going to tell but to get out of this predicament, Jez figured it would be up to him to share.

Hammer sulked while Jezzer filled Dean in on everything he knew. Every once and a while the taller jock corrected his friend or added some other tidbit. In the end, it was a classic story of tragedy.

Paul and Elizabeth Sanderson were a god-fearing couple that moved to town to start a family. They had a baby girl, Sarah. When Sarah was just a little girl, they lost Elizabeth to some sort of illness leaving the father and daughter alone. They were quiet, simple folk who went to church every Sunday and lived peacefully.

That is until Sarah was a teenager. The last known sighting of her was at a town social. There were some rumors that she left with a group of boys but nothing solid. About a month or so later, the first boy went missing. One by one four boys were snatched away. The town was in an uproar and after trying to figure out what was happening, they finally determined that it was Sanderson that took them.

Angered, the town stormed the house and found Sarah long dead in her room, looking like she was sleeping peacefully. While the boys were down in the cellar, beaten and dead. Words were cut into their skin, although there were too many varied reports to determine exactly which ones they were, along with other symbols. Hence the belief he had dabbled in witchcraft. Infuriated, the townspeople pulled Sanderson from his home and hung him from the oak in the front yard.

Dean absorbed as much of the information as he could. Standing there quietly he let his thoughts shuffle and store the information. He just needed one last key component. "So what happened to him after he was hung?"

"Well, there was some mention of how the rope seemed to have gotten stuck. In the end they had to cut the branch off to get him down."

"No, after that. Where did they bury his body?"

"Well, normally they would bury people in the old Eastgate cemetery on the other side of town."

"Shit."

Frowning, Jezzer asked curiously, "Why do you want to know?"

"We need to find his body and burn it to get rid of him, but we can't even get out of the house."

"Well, you'd never find it anyway."

"Not stuck in here I wouldn't but once I get out there-"

"No, you don't understand, you wouldn't find anything there because he's not there."

"But you just said he was-"

"As I was saying, normally they would have put him there, but fearing he was some sort of witch or something they used the limb they cut down to start a fire and burned him in the front yard. He's already ash, dude."

-SPN-

Ack, sorry I'm so late today. A special thanks to those who have alerted of faved this story. You're wait won't be so long tomorrow.

TTFN,

~Ari :D


	9. Remains

"Shit. Damn! Shit. Shit! Damn." The explanatives rolled off Dean's tongue.

Jezzer muttered softly, "I'm guessing that's bad then."

"If his body's already gone, then that must mean there's something else keeping him here."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It could be anything. Some personal affect. Some left over bits like hair or a tooth or a fingernail."

"Gross dude."

Hammer growled, "And where the hell are we supposed to find that?"

"We search the house." Dean calmly replied.

"I ain't going out there! That thing's out there. And you said it can't get in here, so I say we just wait it out."

"He's dead you idiot, time doesn't mean anything to him."

"Well, what about dawn, won't it go away once the sun rises?"

"This isn't some movie or TV show, this is real. He doesn't care whether it's night or day. He wants revenge and we fit it's MO. If we want to go home, then we're going to have to take this thing out. Got it?"

"You want to go out there and get killed Winchester, go for it. I'm staying right here until sunrise."

"You know what, stay here, it would make my life easier." Dean turned back toward the door. When Jezzer moved to follow him, he paused. "You stay put too Jez." He put his hand on the door and mentally prepared himself for what lay beyond.

In his hesitation, the smaller jock spoke, "Hey, Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"Family business. Now wait here. I'll come get you when it's clear. Fix the line after I leave, no gaps." He opened the door as narrow as he could to slip through. Behind him, he heard Jezzer call, "Good Luck."

-SPN-

Told you the wait wouldn't be that long. I know this chap was very short, but don't worry because next chap the fun really begins! And today officially starts 8 days of craziness for us. Good news today, was that after several months of having only one car, we finally got another car. Very exciting. Unfortunately, the rest of this week won't be so great. –sigh-

Well, thanks for reading!

See ya mañana,

~Ari :D


	10. Cellar

Once again on his own, Dean decided it would be best to search upstairs while he was there before moving to the cellar. There were 2 other rooms on this floor. One adjacent to the room he just left and decorated in the same sparse motif as the other. The last room was larger, obviously the Master Bedroom, although there were no restrooms attached. _Outhouses, __yuck._ Dean thought disgustedly. Man he was glad he didn't live in the dark ages like this place.

He was quite happy with a refrigerator, stove, electricity, running water and most importantly the microwave. With those essentials he could take care of his family easily and that suited him just fine. But now wasn't the time to dwell on the privileges of modern life, he had a ghost to gank.

The bed in the center was about the size of the queens in the hotel rooms they stayed in. Above it, on the wall was another crucifix. His and her dressers, a wardrobe, a wash basin, chair and a few small tables. Quickly, he rummaged through the contents of the wardrobe and dressers. Nothing he could find that would be the ghost's link.

On one of the dressers he did find another photograph. This time it was just Paul and Elizabeth Sanderson. Again, she was sitting in the chair with him standing behind. One hand resting on top of the chair back and the other partially tucked in his jacket pocket. Elizabeth looked a little better in this picture. Probably got sick later.

Pressing on, Dean made his way back down to the first floor. Everything still seemed quiet. Curious now, he went back to the mantel and picked up the first picture. Paul was in virtually an identical pose. Elizabeth looked thinner and tired. Dean was about to put it back down when he noticed something sticking out of the pocket next to Paul's hand. He had seen it in the picture upstairs but thought it was just a speck from the aged film processing. Still it wasn't clear enough for him to make out.

He replaced the picture and moved to the kitchen. This time he did stop to look for more salt. He found it in a ceramic jar on the counter. Hastily he poured more back into his canister and returned it to his pocket.

Now it seemed like there was only one place left for him to look. He walked back into the front room and glared at the door under the staircase. It was the only one he hadn't opened and he was pretty sure where it led; the cellar.

As soon as he opened the door he got a lung full of that musty, earthy scent that permeated dirt cellars. He wasn't looking forward to going down there. But he didn't have the luxury of walking away. Steeling himself, he went for it. The wood on the steps here didn't creak but they still didn't feel very sturdy.

He made it down. Squinting in the dark, it took several moments for Dean's eyes to adjust. There was only a scant amount of ambient light seeping through narrow dirt covered windows near the top of one wall. There was junk everywhere. And it wasn't very big to boot.

Absently he wondered how four bodies fit down here and what happened to the boys after they were discovered. But his pondering was cut short.

The cellar by nature was already a few degrees lower than the rest of the house but there was no mistaking the temperature drop. His misting breath confirmed what he already knew. The sound of a boot scuffing the earth alerted Dean to the danger behind him and he spun around bringing the shotgun up and fired. The ghost of Paul Sanderson blinked out right before the salt cloud hit him. And then blinked back in.

"Damn it," Dean hissed under his breath. Preparing to take another shot, he never got the chance. Sanderson lunged for the boy and tossed him into the only brick wall of the basement. Dean hit hard and was no longer aware of the world when he fell to the ground.

Sanderson walked casually up to his unconscious prisoner and crouched down. "You will pay for what you have done."

-SPN-

We are officially half way done with this story and the Dean whumpage starts tomorrow.

As always, thank you to all those who have read, reviewed, faved and alerted this fic or myself. It really pumps up my muse!

Later,

~Ari :D


	11. Purify

When Dean rejoined the living world, his groggy mind slowly became aware of a few things. He was lying in the dirt with no shirt with his arms tied above his head and his ankles tied together, both ends stretched out to two of the supports in the basement. There was also a stone sticking up from the floor and pressing into his lower back. Instinctively, he tried to lean away from it but he couldn't move too far.

The fact he felt something in his back reminded him that something else was missing. His knife was no longer tucked in the back of his waistband. Frantic, he looked around and found it lying on the ground a tantalizing few feet away. If only his hands weren't tied, he could reach it. Of course if his hands weren't tied he probably would need the blade anyway. Still, he had to try.

He pulled against the ropes around his wrists, their coarse strands biting his skin. It wasn't too tight but it wasn't giving either. It would take time for him to wriggle free. Time he knew he didn't have.

He was still struggling when a chill ran up his spine. He froze. And Dean knew instantly he wasn't alone. Oh it wasn't a sound or a shift in the shadows, it wasn't even a temperature change that alerted him. He could just _feel_ it.

For some long minutes nothing happened. The uneasy feeling in his gut grew to unbearable levels. Childhood impatience got the better of him and he finally ground out, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Something moved beyond his right shoulder. Dean twisted to try and see what it was. Paul stood there watching him, his expression oddly blank. "I am praying for your immortal soul."

"Sorry dude, but I think you're too late." The young Hunter groused. "Our family's already damned."

"True. _You_ are already damned."

Dean cringed. There was a cold and merciless edge to the man's words. God, how he wished his dad were there. But he wasn't. He was in this alone. Fear spiked through him. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move.

The ghost slowly made his way to Dean's side. "To redeem your soul, you must be purified."

"Fine," he managed weakly, "Throw some Holy Water on me and tell me how many Hail Mary's and Our Father's I gotta do."

"Oh no, your body and soul must be prepared like that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

"Meaning?"

"Cleansed by blood. Purified by pain." Paul began unbuckling his belt and pulling it free. Dean's eyes widened in horror.

-spn-

Two floors above the two jocks waited in the room. They had no clue what to do. Almost a half hour had passed since they heard the shotgun and then silence. Hammer was complaining saying that Winchester wasn't going to get them and it was all a joke. But Jezzer wasn't so sure.

Their doubts were answered. A chilling sound that abruptly severed the silence. A sound that struck fear into their hearts like they had never experienced before. The sound of pain. Winchester.

-SPN-

As promised some Dean whumpage. Hope you enjoyed it. And as always, would love to get some feedback, I'm really going to need it today. We are losing a family member after almost 12 years. I know it would be best for him since he can barely move, but it doesn't make it any easier. So a little love right now will go a Looonng way.

Shout out to ma girl _Cecile_ – Thanks for reading! And no worries, I understand the demands of real life and time constraints. Review when you can. I'll always be happy to hear from you. :D

Thanks again for all the reads, reviews, alerts and faves.

~Ari :D


	12. Revelations

Gasping to force air into his deprived lungs, his throat dry and sore, Dean fought against the pain. He was in the midst of a small reprieve. Paul had stopped for some reason, although his painfilled mind couldn't fathom why. Still, he didn't look a gift horse in the mouth and took the moment to collect himself.

As he slowly regained control of his body, only one thought kept looping through his mind. Before he knew it, he was whispering it aloud. "Why?"

Paul glared down at him. "Because of what you did."

"I didn't do anything."

"Don't lie to me." The ghost snarled, leaning over Dean menacingly.

Something moved in the corner of Dean's eye and he glanced at the man's pocket. An odd shape stuck out and shifted inside as the man/ghost bent over. Desperate to stall any further punishment, he attempted to quell the man's anger. "I'm not lying. I didn't do anything to you."

"Not me, stupid child. Her." He leaned back, his pocket opening slightly by the move. Dean saw a familiar shape although it was hard to place where he had seen it before.

Realization dawned on the young Hunter. Two epiphanies hit him in the same moment. Inwardly, he screamed the Pipe! Outwardly, he breathed, "Sarah."

Paul nodded. "My precious child. You and your friends sullied her, made her unclean."

Not really concentrating on the man's words any more, Dean frantically tried to figure out a way to get back upstairs. There was no doubt in his mind in that moment the Pipe is what kept Paul Sanderson in this world. It was personal and probably held trace amounts of his skin from the man's lips. But how to get up and out? Trying to buy more time, he muttered a vague apology, "Didn't meant to."

"Of course you did." Anger poured off the man as he explained, "You lured her away and took advantage of her. I told her you boys were trouble. Warned her not to go to that Social. My angel soiled by your filth. And if that wasn't enough, your actions produced a bastard."

Dean tried to think. He had heard the term often enough. Somewhere in his memory he recalled it as a derogatory word about a child's parents but he couldn't really remember the exact definition. He bet if Sammy were here, he would know. The kid loved all that kind of stuff. Probably grow up to be some kind of nerd. His thoughts were brought back to the present when Paul continued.

"I told the Sheriff about what you had done to my baby. He told me she probably asked for it. He wasn't going to do anything about it. One of the boys was the son of a friend of his. There would be no justice for my little girl and she would have to bare the shame alone. That is when I knew man's justice meant nothing. Only God's judgment mattered. And the only way to stand before God was through death."

"But I didn't do anything! That happened ages ago!" Dean protested urgently.

"Boys are all the same. Then and now. You will be judged for your actions and I will make it clear what you have done." Paul reached for Dean's knife and slowly unsheathed it.

And Dean was screaming again. The vengeful spirit carved into the delicate skin of his chest. He lost count of the individual cuts. The thin layer of skin covering his ribs was cold and numb.

Hours passed. At least, that is how it felt for Dean. The slicing pain as the man worked subsided to a throbbing pain. It stretched virtually from arm pit to arm pit. Gulping down air like a drowning man, Dean fought his way to the surface and out of the ocean of agony. But it was hard, so hard. All he wanted to do was give into the black abyss of oblivion. Succumb to the sleep that beckoned him. And he would have, if not what happened next.

So wrapped up in their own little world neither heard the door creep cautiously open. Nor did they hear the tentative steps as someone descended down the stairs.

No, the sanctity of their world was shattered when someone gasped in horror. "Dean?"

-SPN-

There you go, another chapter. Sorry for the delay. A lot on the mind and so much to take care of. More soon!

Thanks for reading,

~Ari :D


	13. Jezzer

Ghost and Hunter alike turned at the intruder in surprise. While it wasn't exactly who Dean was hoping for, he would take what he could get. "Jez!"

"Dean!" Jez went down another step but hesitated when the Ghost stood.

Panicking, Dean tried to shout out brief instructions. "No, Upstairs. On the Mantel, a box with a pipe. Get salt from the kitchen, jar on the counter."

Confused, Jezzer asked, "What? Why?" His earlier bravado long gone now. And he was getting more frightened by the second as Paul turned his attention to him.

"Salt the pipe and then burn it. It's the only way to get rid of him. Now Go!"

Jezzer just nodded and ran back up the stairs.

Paul practically growled. He turned back to look at Dean for a moment, his displeasure clearly written across his face. And then he blinked out.

"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit! Jezzer hurry!" But Dean knew it would do no good shouting. He had to get out of there. Renewing his struggles, he was rewarded when one of his hands slipped along the rope. His wrists were rubbed raw and his blood had made a sufficient amount of lubricant. It still hurt like a bitch though.

A series of bangs followed by a grunt spurred the Hunter on. Gritting his teeth tightly, Dean yanked with all his might. Suddenly, his hand pulled free. Giddy from the excitement of success, he chuckled.

Thud! And a shout.

Sobering quickly, Dean reached out for his discarded knife. The ghost dropped it when he flickered out. His fingers curled around the familiar hilt and started cutting the rest of the rope from his other wrist. Hands free, he went to work on his ankles. Almost through.

"Dean!"

"Hold on Jezzer!" He shouted back. The rope fell. Scrambling to his feet, Dean scanned the cellar, he needed his gun. There! Over by the windows. He darted over and scooped the sawed off up then darted upstairs. Busting through the door, the young Hunter assessed the danger and found nothing in the front room. Turning to his right, he found Paul standing in the archway to the kitchen.

Instincts kicking in, he raised the shotgun and fired. A cloud of salt dispersed the ghost. Dean ran over and found the table and chairs scattered around the room, jars knocked over and Jezzer crouching in the corner. "Got the salt?"

The older boy nodded. Thankful for small favours, Dean motioned him out of the room with the gun. "Then come on." Not wanting to be alone anymore, the jock hastily complied.

Dean led him to the fireplace and grabbed the box. He pulled it open and tossed the pipe into the empty hearth. "Pour the salt on it and then light it up." Dean reloaded, noting that one of the shells got crushed while he was fighting to free himself before.

Jezzer hesitated. "How?"

Dean opened his mouth to respond when he caught a figure in the corner of his left eye. With lightening reflexes, the Hunter turned and fired. Paul disappeared again.

"Can't you do it now? I'm no-"

"I need you to do it."

"But why?" the jock argued.

"Cause ghosts don't usually like it when someone is trying to gank them. I'm gonna cover you." To emphasize his point, Sanderson materialized right next to the older boy. Dean fired again. Jezzer flinched and fell to the ground cursing. "Now hurry up, we don't got all night," he barked while reloading again.

With shaking hands, Jezzer poured the entire jar of salt over the pipe. When it was empty he looked up at Dean. "How do I light it?"

Glancing down, Dean jerked his head in the direction of the window where his sack of candy still sat. "Lighter in my bag."

Jezzer got up and ran to the window only to stop short. Sanderson came back and was lunging for him. "Move!" Dean ordered. The jock ducked while another blast of salt swept overhead. "Go."

But Jezzer didn't want to be too far from Dean, so he just snatched up the bag and ran back. He slid to a stop next to the fireplace and started rummaging through the bag. After a moment, he growled, "I can't find it!"

"Dump it!" Sanderson charged again and Dean fired. Grimly, he realized he only had 1 shot left.

Jezzer turned out the contents of the pillowcase on the floor and sifted through the candy. Finally, he found it. "Got it!" Flicking the lighter, the jock put it up to the pipe but nothing happened. "Dean, it's not working."

Risking a glance over his shoulder, Dean realized now one of the key items he forgot. Lighter fluid. "Dammit!" _Plan __B? __Plan __B? __Plan __B!_ "Chair! Rip off some material and stuffing, put the pipe on it and light it up!"

Sanderson moved to block the jock again. But Dean was there to stop him. Only, now they were officially out of ammo and Sanderson was still kicking.

-SPN-

Here you go. Again sorry for the delay in posting. I will try to post earlier tomorrow before we head out to Mickey's Halloween party. Otherwise you may end up with 2 posts on one day.

Anyway, thanks for reading. As always a review would be most appreciated.

~Ari :D


	14. Burned

No ammo. No salt. No lighter fluid. No fire. And one ghost still. The odds were not in the boys' favour. But John had taught his son well. Keep fighting. Never give up.

Dean's mind raced. Jezzer was still working to collect materials for the fire and with nothing left to throw at the ghost Dean would need another way to distract Sanderson til the deed was done.

Tossing the shotgun toward his pillow case, the young Hunter walked out in to the center of the room and away from the jock. Dean's gaze continued to scan the room, and his expression turned smug. "Sanderson!" he called. "Hey, Sanderson, got a question for ya." Dean paused, waiting for the ghost to re-appear.

Paul materialized a few feet in front of the Hunter.

_Good,_ Dean thought, _I __got __his __attention._ Smirking, he looked up at the ghost and asked, "So is Sarah still around too? Cause I was thinking I'd like to have another go at her."

That got the reaction Dean was hoping for. Sanderson was practically snarling when he lunged for Dean. The young teen tried to dodge, but wasn't fast enough. In a flash Dean found himself gasping for air while flat on his back.

He heard someone call his name. "Keep going," he instructed. Paul turned from Dean to move toward the jock and Dean thought fast. "Hey, you know your daughter was a slut, right?" And if looks could kill, Dean knew there would have been two ghosts in the room at that moment based upon the expression Paul glared down at him. "We only gave her what she wanted."

Paul pounced with a roar. "No! She was pure. It was you that befouled her! She has been purified. And so will you be."

Dean struggled against the strength of the man towering over him. He twisted to crawl away, but a sharp pain in his shoulder pinned him to the ground on his stomach. Grunting against the pain, it took a few moments for his brain to figure out what was happening. Paul was carving into his skin again, only this time across his back and without a knife, which he gathered was a fingernail raking down his skin. Somewhere past the pounding of his heart in his ears, the Hunter heard someone tell him to hold on and it was almost done.

That's when he felt something jab into his hip. Suddenly he realized what it was. So he desperately reached down and shoved his hand in his pocket to extract the broken shotgun shell from within. He tilted it so that some of the rock salt would fall into his hand. Then with all his might he growled, "Purify this, dick!" and threw the salt over his shoulder.

Paul flickered out and disappeared again. Dean took the brief respite to collect himself. His back now on fire, the kid worked himself up to his hands and knees. A tentative hand touched the small of his back. "F-fire?" he gasped.

"It's going. How long before we know it worked?" Jezzer spoke beside him.

Sanderson popped up again screaming in rage. The two boys fell back in fear. But they needn't have worried. The edges of his clothes began to burn and his cry of anger soon faded as he turned to ash. It was over.

-SPN-

Sorry just got back from Mickey's Not so Scary party. Always have a good time there.

Well, I hope you enjoyed. Still got a few more chaps to post yet. My muse and I would love to hear from you, so please drop me a quick review. Thank you so much.

A couple of quick shout outs this time. :) _ncis __la __fan_ – Thank you so much! I am very happy to hear you are enjoying this. I thought it was a good story in celebration of the season. Thanks for reading.

_Cecile_ – Good to see you are all caught up. Thanks! I do try and stay as true to the character as possible. Yes, it is very sad, my baby Darby would have been12 today. It's still hard to believe he's gone. We all miss him very much, but we do have our happy memories of him. So he will stay in our hearts always. Thanks again for the thoughts and for reading.

Well, until tomorrow peeps.

~Ari :D


	15. Hammer

For long moments the duo sat there letting the silence and relief wash over them. The last hour or so had been the most harrowing of their lives. Yet they survived.

For Jezzer, it was a miracle. But for Dean, this was just another day in the life, even though he wasn't supposed to be taking on hunts on his own yet. This time he didn't have much of a choice. At least they won.

The jock glanced over at Dean and winced, "Shit Dean, you look like,.. well, shit."

"Well, I'm still better looking than you," he quipped, which made the older boy laugh.

Standing up, dusting himself off, Jezzer held out a hand to the younger boy, "I think it's time we got out of here."

"No arguments there." Once on his feet again, Dean fought off a bout of dizziness. "Let me get my stuff, you go get Hammer and then we're gone."

The two split up. Dean headed back downstairs to the cellar to find his shirt and coat. It was slow going for him, now that the adrenaline burst was wearing off. The aches and pains cried out for his attention. He would have to patch them up once he got back to the motel. He also grabbed the sheath for his knife. Now that he had everything, he headed back upstairs and walked over to the spilt candy. Kneeling down he began to scoop it all up and back into the bag.

The small fire in the hearth burned blue and offered little warmth. Dean really didn't give it much thought now. He was more concerned with getting all the candy as it was most likely their only source of food for the next few days. Another wave of dizziness washed over him. He sat there for a moment with his eyes closed to center himself.

-spn-

Jezzer climbed the stairs and headed to the back room. As he walked the short hallway, he couldn't help the surge of anger running through him. After the screams started, Jezzer couldn't sit there any more listening to it. Oh he tried at first, but his conscience kept nagging at him to help. He argued with himself that he had no idea how to help, yet still his heart told him it didn't matter. It was the right thing to do.

He had turned to Hammer, hoping the boy would back him as he always backed Hammer. But the larger boy simply sat on the bed and pretended that this was all some sort of bad dream or joke. Disgusted, he took off out of the room and started searching for Dean. The rest, as they say is history.

The jock opened the door and glared at his friend. "It's over. You can go home now."

Hammer quickly wiped at his eyes before putting his game face back on. His fears turned into the angry shield he constantly wielded. "Bout time." Then he pushed past Jezzer and headed down. At the bottom of the stairs he harassed the Hunter. "Nice joke, Winchester, but as you can see I didn't fall for it."

Dean just huffed. It wasn't even worth the breath needed to reply.

Jezzer came up behind Hammer and nudged him out of the way. "Knock it off. It wasn't a joke."

Frowning, Hammer glanced between the two then came to another utterly wrong conclusion. "You two were in on it together. That's why you suggested this place wasn't it, Jezzer?"

"What?" Jezzer balked at the accusation.

Dean couldn't sit there and take that one. Pivoting on the spot he glared at the older boy. "Right, because we've had so much time together to plan this. I don't even go to the same school as you, stupid. When the hell could we plan this?"

But Hammer wasn't about to back down. Slowly, he advanced on the Hunter. "Maybe you didn't do it before. Maybe you did it after we got here. You ployed Jez here with all that shouting and got him to buy into your plan."

"Stand down, Ham," Jez said as he looped one of his arms under the larger boy's to pull him back. But Hammer easily slipped out of the hold and lunged for Dean. He grabbed two fistfuls of the younger boy's shirt and shook him.

Dean hissed from the flare of pain in his chest at the rough handling but did nothing else.

Jezzer quickly moved to defend Dean, pushing the jock off and away. "Jesus, Ham, you really are an asshole! He just saved our lives and you want to bash his brains in?"

"This was just some big scam and you fell for it!"

"If that's really what you think, then look at your hands." Jezz pointed at the fists by his friend's side.

Not thinking anything of it, Hammer raised up his hands to show them nothing was there. That's when he noticed the splotches of red staining his skin. He looked up and noticed the dark patches on Dean's shirt and started putting two and two together.

Jez went in for the kill, so to speak. "That's right, Ham. That's blood on your hands. Dean's blood. From what that ghost did to him. He fought and protected me. _Us._ And you still think this was a joke?"

Hastily, the jock tried to wipe the blood off on his jeans, all the time muttering, "Fake. It's fake. It's gotta be."

Making a decision, Jezzer grabbed his babbling friend by the shoulder of his jacket and pulled him toward the door. "I'll deal with you later, Ham. Now go home." He yanked the door open with surprising ease. The death of Sanderson released the hold the house had on them. Then he shoved Hammer through. Softer, he said, "I'll call you later." Then he shut the door.

Now that they were alone, Jezzer turned back to Dean to apologize, when he saw the younger boy sway dangerously.

-SPN-

Happy Friday ya'll. I'm a bit bummed because I didn't get to watch tonight's episode, but I think my excuse was a great one. We were having our 11th anniversary at Cinderella's Royal Table. Yeah!

Thankfully this week is finally coming to an end. Started with a good up, then a major down and ending with another good up. I could do without the chaos and stress that riddled the spaces in between.

Anyway, quick shout out to _Queen __Bee_ – He sure does, but I think that is one of the reasons we love him so much. Thank you sooo much! I really appreciate it!

For all the others out there who have faved, alerted, and especially reviewed. Thank You!

And don't forget; There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day! Lol. Until then.

~Ari :D


	16. Aftermath

"Whoa!" Jezzer quickly dashed over to steady Dean. "Hey, hey, you ok?"

The question seemed to drive away the dazed expression. Automatically, Dean answered, "I'm fine."

"Yeah right. Let's get you to a hospital."

"No!" Dean shouted pulling out of Jezzer's grasp, stumbling back and clutching for the mantel instead.

Jezz held out his hands in a placating manner not wanting to spook Dean any further. He could see the panic in those hazel eyes for a moment at the mention of a hospital. "Look, you're bleeding and god only knows what else that thing did to you."

"I said, I'm fine. I got to get back to the motel. Sammy's waiting for me."

"Fine, then maybe your dad will take you."

"He won't."

"Why not? You needa…"

"He won't cause he's not there."

Frowning and more than a little confused, he asked, "What? But I thought you…"

"I told you that to get you to let Sammy go."

"Well, when will he be back?"

Dean didn't answer. Instead he grabbed up his bag, shoved the empty shotgun inside (the last thing he needed to collect) and then headed for the door.

The silence told Jezzer enough. Sighing, he followed the younger boy out of the house and into the cold night. They made their way off the porch and out of the yard, then started for the park. When they got to the entrance, Dean glared back at the jock. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you get home alright."

"I'm not a kid. I don't need to be walked home."

"Uh, yeah, you are. So am I, truth be told. Hey, would it make you feel better if I said, I felt more comfortable heading back with you cause you can kick some serious ass?"

That put a smile on Dean's face. "Yeah, actually it would."

"Good, because that's partially true too."

The pair walked on in comfortable silence. They retraced the path they used to get to the Sanderson house. Half way back, they were jumping over a little creek, when Dean slipped on the embankment and landed hard. A sharp cry broke free. A strong wave of dizziness crashed over him. His stomach roiled in protest. Quickly, he scrambled to his hands and knees and over to a nearby tree. His stomach clenched painfully.

And if Dean could have he would have thrown up everything he had eaten in the past week. Unfortunately, his belly was running on empty and he could only produce dry heaves, which in his mind was worse than throwing up. At least when you spewed, you had something to show for it. When you heaved, it always felt like it was working harder to find something to spill.

After a few moments, the heaving thankfully stopped. But they had definitely taken their toll. Dean felt weak, more like exhausted. And his body trembled slightly from the effort. So he just sat there and breathed. He didn't want to move.

From behind, Jezzer waited patiently. "Hey, you ok now?" Dean gave one tiny nod in affirmation. When the boy still didn't move, Jezzer offered to help him up. Holding out one hand, he really didn't expect Winchester to grab on to it. So when he did, Jezzer realized the kid must really be feeling awful. He started second guessing his decision about a hospital.

However, he knew he wasn't going to convince Dean right now, so he let it go. Planting his feet, he yanked Dean to his feet and practically caught him in his arms. With such bulky clothes, the jock had expected there to be a lot more weight when he pulled. Instead, it was like pulling on a pillow.

Dean was obviously over balanced and fell against the jock. Which also felt like nothing. He kept one hand on Dean as he picked up the sack of candy and handed it over. Jokingly, he pondered aloud, "Christ kid, you're as light as a feather. You need to get some meat on those bones. When was the last time you ate?"

Under his hand, Jez felt the tightening of muscle. Unconsciously, the young Hunter pulled the bag of candy closer to his chest. It took a moment for the motions to register. And when it did, it hit hard. "Jesus," Jezzer hissed, shaking his head. He was smart enough to realize Dean's pride would not permit him to give anything further away. So he just filed it for later and focused on what needed to be done right now. "Come on, let's get you to Sammy."

-SPN-

I hope you enjoyed. We are home again now. Time to try and get things back to normal.

Thank you all for reading and all that other good stuff. See ya tomorrow.

~Ari :D


	17. Return

The rest of the trip through the park was uneventful and quiet. Jezzer walked cautiously closer to Dean making sure the younger boy didn't slip or trip on anything. Dean seemed content at the moment to take the help. But Jez gathered that was mainly because the kid was spent.

All the fighting at the house and his injuries had taken their toll on the younger boy. Plus the lack of food. His thoughts had been racing in the silence. Dean had mentioned that this is what their family did, fight ghosts and such. And it didn't take a genius to figure out how it all worked.

The family would move into an area. The dad would go off doing these hunts. Probably didn't make a lot of money doing it. And he left the kids to fend for themselves. It had to be a rough life. He really didn't envy Dean or his brother.

And Jezz thought not getting the video game he wanted was torture.

When the lights of the seedy motel came in to view though, Dean's entire demeanor changed. He started walking taller and putting distance between them. A few minutes later he spoke, "Well I got it from here. You can go now."

"Sure you can make it back?"

"I'm fine." Dean snapped.

"Ok, ok. I'll stop by tomorrow to make sure you're good."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to. See ya, Dean."

"Later Jez."

"Uh, Dean, you can call me Jeremy, if you want."

"Okay. Later, Jeremy." Dean started to turn then hesitated. "And thanks, for everything."

"No big. Later." Jeremy watched Dean walk off. He waited for a bit before he started following. He was going to make sure the kid made it back alright. Besides he needed to know which room was theirs.

-spn-

The last hundred yards or so were the hardest Dean had walked in his life. Even after those runs his dad made him go on turning his legs to mush, this seemed harder. Alone in his trek, he thought about all that had happened that night and the extremely different reactions the jocks had.

He wasn't surprised at Hammer's reaction, to be honest. The older boy seemed to live in denial constantly. His mind wouldn't be able to handle the reality that the shadows had hidden from him. But Jezzer – Jeremy – seemed to roll with the punches. Even managed to help him gank the ghost, even if he looked terrified while he did it. And the fact he stood up to his friend when Hammer was about to start another fight, that was amazing too.

It was rare when someone else stood up for him. He always found himself stepping between some bully and their victim. And it wasn't always Sammy he was protecting, but other kids at school. Most of the time he didn't even know their names. It was just something he always just did. To be on the receiving end was a new experience for him.

Now that he was practically at the motel, he could see that one of the lights still on belonged to them. He glanced down and suddenly became acutely aware of his disheveled state; he zipped up his jacket so Sammy wouldn't see the bloodstains on his shirt when he walked in. Which was still a concern that played at the back of his mind, was Sammy still waiting inside? He hoped his baby brother didn't go out looking for him because he had been gone so long. Of course, he needn't have worried.

As soon as he opened the door a smaller figure barreled into him.

-SPN-

Happy Mischief Night! Although for the most part, that tradition has faded away. If not, then I hope you don't get into too much trouble out there.

Watched Friday's episode this morning. Man, these boys just don't get a break. I hope Sam realizes that Dean really did feel bad about Amy. Why else would his guilt keep plaguing him? I guess we'll find out next week, ne?

Anyway, just a few more chapters left. Thanks for reading.

~Ari :D


	18. Sammy

After the brief but tight hug, Sammy pulled away and hit his older brother in the arm. "Ow, what was that for?"

"What took you so long?" Sammy stepped back to let his brother in and close the door. Standing between the beds, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared.

"Chill Sammy, I'm back now aren't I? Besides, they won't be bothering us again."

"How much trouble you in? You know dad doesn't like it when you fight."

"Relax, _mom_, I didn't fight them. We talked out our differences."

"Bull shit. Let me see your hands."

"Jeez, go ahead, take a look, nothing, see?" Dean answered and held his hands out knuckles up for Sammy to see. The kid's gaze glanced them over and seemingly satisfied relaxed a little. "And don't use that kind of language around dad. He'll wash your mouth out with soap. Trust me."

"I won't." After a moment's pause Sammy added, "You do it."

"Yeah, well I'm older."

"That's not an excuse, Dean."

Dean sighed, he really wasn't up for one of these kind of arguments. His chest and back hurt and he was exhausted. Ignoring the bait, he said, "Look Sammy, it's late and it's been a really long night. I'm gonna wash up and then hit the hay. You should too."

"But what about the candy?" Sammy asked, gesturing toward the table in the kitchenette.

Dean could see there were multiple piles of candy sitting there. Apparently the kid rationed it out for the next few days like he told him too. Grinning, he said, "Go on, have your share for tonight while I get ready. Then bed."

Sammy was about to protest when he was overruled by a huge yawn. Defeated, he muttered a quick, 'fine,' then walked over to the table.

While Sammy was distracted by the candy, Dean grabbed a change of clothes and the first aid kit before heading into the bathroom. Once inside, he carefully peeled off his jacket and shirt, the blood had started to harden and stick to the clothes. Standing in front of the mirror with his shirt off, Dean could finally see the damage Sanderson had done.

Across his chest and backwards in the mirror was the word 'bastard' and there was also a cross on his belly, which surprised him because he didn't recall feeling it. But it was there. He wet a wash cloth and started cleaning the wounds. He knew the one along his shoulders would be the hardest but he would manage.

It took a little longer for him to get ready for bed, but Dean still managed to get ready in record time considering. Sammy was finished his 'supper' and the two fell on to the beds and were out before they knew it.

-SPN-

Happy Halloween! I hope you guys had a good time and got lots of candy. I would love it if you shared some virtual candy with me. Please leave a review if you have a moment.

Thanks again,

~Ari :D


	19. Jeremy

The following morning the Winchester brothers slept in. And when they did wake up everything seemed back to normal. Dean had awesomely let Sammy have candy again for breakfast. They watched Saturday morning cartoons and just hung around.

Until there was a knock on the door. Sammy was closest to the door and peeked out the window to see who it was. Frowning, he glanced back at his brother. "It's one of those kids from last night. I thought you said they weren't going to bother us any more."

Reluctantly, Dean got up to open the door. "And they aren't. Jeremy said he wanted to pop by today's all."

Taking a deep breath, Dean pulled the door open and stood there. "Hey, Dean."

"Jeremy."

Jezzer noticed Sammy standing behind his brother. "Hey, Sammy, sorry about last night. It was all just a misunderstanding."

"Whatever." Sammy waved the kid off then headed back to finish watching the show that was on, now that he determined the visitor was not a threat.

Jeremy looked back at Dean and asked, "Can I come in?"

"Guess so." Dean stepped aside.

The jock walked in and glanced around. The place looked about what he expected. Once again he was reminded about how fortunate he was. Which only served to emphasize his other reason for his visit. "Uh, on the way over I stopped at the Castle to grab some lunch and I ended up buying more than I could eat. You guys want to have it?"

Dean wasn't a fool. He knew exactly what Jeremy was doing. Scowling, he crossed his arms and tried not to wince when the skin along his chest pinched painfully. "Actually, we were about to go out for lunch."

From the bed, Sammy's head snapped up. "We were?"

Grinning, the jock added, "Well, then I can save you the trip." He held up the bag.

Sammy looked at the lumpy sack expectantly, obviously waiting for his brother's decision. Dean couldn't deny that eager face. His shoulders slumped slightly as he said, "Ok."

"Yeah!" Sammy bounced off the bed and took the proffered meal then scurried to the kitchenette to eat.

The older boys watched Sammy for a moment when Jeremy looked back at Dean. "There's enough for both of you, you know."

"I know. But I'll wait til Sammy's done."

For a few minutes the two older boys stood in companionable silence. Jeremy watched Dean out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but admire the kid. He'd seen a lot of brothers and sisters fight over the years. And to watch a kid, younger than himself, shoulder so much responsibility not only for himself but his younger brother too. Well, it was amazing. Generally, he only saw that kind of patience and determination in fellow athletes or honor roll geeks. And Jeremy couldn't peg Dean in either of those categories. No, Dean's focus was on his baby brother.

But enough with the introspection, Jeremy cleared his throat softly. "You're a great brother, Dean. Pretty awesome kid all around, really. Sorry for all the crap. And thanks for saving us last night when you didn't have to."

Dean regarded the jock thoughtfully for a second before responding. "Apology accepted."

"Hey Dean, aren't you going to have some?" Sammy called from the back of the room, holding up a slider.

"In a minute, kiddo." Turning back to the jock, he inquired, "Anything else?"

"Yeah actually, you dropped this last night and I wanted to give it back to you." Jeremy held out a folded bill.

Dean looked at it in disgust. "That's not mine." He could accept the food but not the money. They weren't some charity case. And he had his pride.

But Jeremy wasn't ready to give up yet. "Sure it is, I saw it fall."

"No it's not."

"It fell out of your pocket, I swear."

Curious, Sammy had wondered over to them and stood next to his brother. "If he saw it fall, then it's yours Dean." Sammy announced logically, cutting off his brother's protests. "If he wants to give it back, then just take it."

"No."

"Fine. If you won't, I will." He snatched it from Jeremy's hand, who was smiling triumphantly, and put it in his pocket. Dean shouted in protest, but Sammy put up one hand and stopped him in his tracks. "It's over."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." Sammy then turned and flopped on to the bed, snatching up the remote to find something new to watch.

Clearing his throat, Jeremy looked to Dean, the smirk still on his face. "Well, I'm heading over to Hammer's now. Need to set a few things straight with him. I'll see ya around."

Dean walked him out. He closed the door behind him and glared at the jock. "You shouldn't have done all that back there." He jerked a thumb at the door.

"I know, but I wanted to. You saved my life. It's the least I could do. Actually, there's one more thing. My mom owns a catering business. She's always coming home with extra food and we don't know what to do with it half the time. So if you want, just give me a call, I'm sure she'd be happy to put together a couple plates for you and your brother. She'd probably even throw in some pie. She bakes the best apple pie in the county." Jeremy announced proudly.

Dean wanted to protest the offer but remained silent. The time of year along with the mention of mom and pie made his heart constrict suddenly. An old pain far worse than his current injuries stabbed his chest.

"Dean, you ok?" Jezzer questioned suddenly concerned when the color drained from Dean's face.

Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded. Jezzer didn't seem completely convinced, but he let it go. "Remember, if there's anything you need just call me." He handed Dean a slip of paper and then walked away.

Dean sank further into his thoughts. The rest of the day seemed to continue without him. The constant white noise of Sammy gabbing and the tv. They finished off the sack of mini burgers later that night. He barely ate any, his mind and soul numb. He could only really focus on one thing that night.

Tomorrow was November 2nd. Another year gone without their mom. Another year full of hunting. He wondered if it would ever end. He wondered where their father was. He was always around on that day, mostly to drown in a bottle. Their shared grief usually made the day somber. Sammy never really understood, he really didn't know their mom, so it was no surprise.

It still hurt for Dean. A lot. And with their father still MIA, Dean wondered what it would be like to deal with her loss alone.

-SPN-

Well, I totally broke the 1 page per chapter rule on this one because I didn't want to break up the flow. Ah well, I hope you enjoyed the longer post.

Oh and I wanted to just make a quick comment. I don't know exactly where the Winchesters are for this fic, just somewhere in the North East, I imagine. Was trying to think of a cheap joint that offered a number of sandwiches for a low price and settled on White Castle. I know the chain was regional and I used to live in Jersey. I wasn't sure how long Krystal Burgers was around and got too lazy to check. And I couldn't think of any other options. So White Castle it was. Also, Sammy is still pretty young here and back then 'healthy eating' still wasn't a priority. I figure he didn't really change his diet until he hit the college scene at Stanford. So he likes burgers for now. ;)

The end is neigh. Tomorrow will be the last chapter. I know it will be sad for the few of you out there reading, as well as myself. I am fairly happy with the way this fic turned out even if it ended up being different from how I imagined it initially. But that's my muse for you.

Well, as always, thanks for reading. Until tomorrow.

~Ari :D


	20. November Second

November Second. A day that would be etched into his heart for all time. When Dean woke that morning, he was tired and achy and irritable.

Sammy asked him what they were going to have for breakfast and Dean snapped back that he didn't know. It made the kid jump. Sadly, Dean realized that he would need to reign in all his worry and pain and grief to make it through this day. This long, long day.

He told Sammy to have some more candy for now and they would go out to grab some stuff later. The morning was full of cartoons again although Dean hadn't really watched them. It was mid afternoon when he told Sammy to get ready to head out.

When they reached their destination, Sammy frowned up at his brother. "What are we doing here?"

It was one of the local catholic churches down the road. Dean had timed it so all the masses were over but you could still go in and sit if you wanted to. Dean didn't answer his brother, just led him inside. The layout was typical. Together they walked over to an alcove already aglow with candles. It was empty.

Dean found the bin with extra wicks and took one, lighting it on a large candle above. He walked over to a corner and lit one of the small candles, blew out the stick and set it down in front of him on the altar. Carefully, he knelt down and noticed Sammy mimicking his actions. The kid must have caught on and simply followed his brother.

Over the years, the Winchesters had forged new friendships with various Hunters. Oft times they found themselves shacking up with one of them when this day rolled around. Last year, they had stayed with Pastor Jim. The man was a contradiction between his faith and his actions. But Dean soon realized that he was a man of faith before he was a hunter. And it was he who told him about the candles and what they meant.

Without knowing what else to do on the anniversary of their mother's death, Dean figured this was the best he could offer. He bowed his head and prayed. Prayed that she was happy and safe in heaven. That their father would be home soon and without being too banged up. That they could settle down and be a real family again. That the nightmare would finally end.

He told her how much he missed her. Her voice. Her smile. Her hugs and kisses. And the way she sang to him at night. Her gentle ways. And especially her love.

After all, it's always a mom's love that heals all wounds. And Dean hurt right now, in both body and soul. He needed her. He wanted her there to take care of him. She had tended to his scrapes and 'boo boos' as a child. Then suddenly on this day so many years ago, he had suddenly become the mom. Taken care of his brother and father in her absence. But he was just a kid…

It wasn't fair! He wanted her back in his life. His family whole again. But he knew it would never happen.

Never… it just wasn't fair.

In the end, there was nothing else to say or do. He wiped at his moist eyes, not realizing he had cried at some point, then stood. Sammy remained quiet but watchful of his brother. There were tear lines tracing his round cheeks as well. Dean tried to smile, but failed. His heart heavy.

Taking a deep breath, Dean carefully wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders and squeezed briefly. Sammy smiled up at his brother and hugged him around the middle. They stood there for a moment before Dean pulled back and led them away.

Together the boys slipped out of the chapel and headed for a convenience store further up the road. Dean used the money Jezzer gave them to restock their empty shelves. They were just rounding the corner to their room when a tall shadow fell across their path.

Glancing up, the silhouette was unmistakable. They dropped their bags and leapt into the man's arms as he bent down to collect them. "Dad!" ghosted past Dean's lips while Sammy had shouted his.

"Boys! God it's good to see you." John Winchester's weary expression brightened at the sight of his boys. He eagerly scooped them up and hugged them fiercely to his chest.

In almost the same fashion as the other night, Sammy leaned back and punched his dad in the arm. "What took you so long?"

"Easy there, kiddo, I had a job to finish."

"And did you?" Dean asked.

John looked his oldest in the eyes and nodded. "Yeah, a few days ago."

"Then why you only getting back now?"

"Caleb called me before I left. Told me about a fire a few towns over." His gaze still locked with Dean's, John inhaled deeply before adding, "Father and kid made it out but the mother died."

Dean's whole body tensed for an instant in recognition. "Like mom?"

Again John bobbed his head. "Yeah, like mom."

"Did you find it? Did you get it?" Dean didn't dare to hope. Could his prayers have been answered so quickly? But it was not to be.

John sighed and his entire frame seemed to deflate. "No. It was long gone by the time I got there." Disappointment mixed with anger rolled off the man. After a moment, John patted his sons' shoulders. "Listen, let's go get something to eat. When we get back, pack up. I'll un-enroll you in the morning before we head out."

At that announcement, Sammy demanded, "Where we going now?"

"Jim's place. We're gonna stay with him til another job comes up."

Not entirely happy considering they had only gotten there about a month ago, Sammy relented. John picked up the plastic bags of food and stood. "Come on."

The trio went to the local diner before heading back to their room. There they packed and got ready to leave. Dean and Sam shared one bed while their father occupied the other.

In the morning, John went to Sammy's school first then Dean's. After they left Dean's school, they were about to head out when Dean recognized a figure on the football field adjacent to his school. The High school was only a short distance away. He asked his dad to stop and give him a minute. Amazingly, John complied.

Dean jumped out of the Impala and ran to the fence calling, "Jeremy!"

Surprised to see the younger boy, Jeremy ran over. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"My dad got back last night and we're heading out."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Yeah. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks and all."

"Really, Dean, it was no problem. You earned it." He laughed.

Shrugging, the young hunter played it down, "It was no big deal."

"Actually Dean, it was. What you did that night… was incredible. I mean it, Thanks."

Feeling very uncomfortable now, Dean shifted his weight. "Anyway, just wanted to say thanks. Time for me to go."

"Take care of yourself, Winchester."

"You too, Jez. Say bye to _Hamster _for me."

Jeremy laughed, "Good one. I will."

"Bye."

"Bye."

When Dean climbed back into the Impala, John watched him for a moment. Squirming under the scrutiny, Dean demanded, "What?"

"Did anything happen while I was gone?"

"No," came the quick reply.

"Uh huh." John wasn't buying it. Sammy leaned forward but Dean just shot him a glance and silenced the kid.

"Really, dad, nothing more than usual." John continued to stare at his eldest. "Can't we just go?"

Deciding that starting an argument at the beginning of a long drive was not the wisest thing to do, John dropped it. For now. Sooner or later he would find out what happened while he was gone. It was only a matter of time.

Turning the key in the ignition, the Impala rumbled to life. In minutes the Winchesters were back on the highway on their way to Pastor Jim's place.

-SPN fin-

And so it ends. Thank you all so much for joining me on this little adventure. I would especially like to thank all those who have taken the time to review:

DelaVega209, PaulatheCat, Sjoeks, magoghair, madiwinchvatore, heather03nmg, jiffers, , runaway08, Cecile, ncis la fan, Lil Threat, Aislinn Rose, Queen Bee, moira4eku, adorereading, and d767468.

Every word has meant a lot to me and my muse! So thank you! :D

Just one last little note, I couldn't help a final nod to the boys of Top Gear and fixed Hammond's nickname back to Hamster. I know he doesn't care for it much and would probably prefer Hammer, but I thought it would work here in the end as a tease.

Anyway, I had thought about continuing, but felt this was the proper place to stop for this fic. In essence, I was going for an advent type fic leading to Halloween and Mary's death anniversary which is what I believe I accomplished here. I had a few thoughts in mind for the aftermath of Dean's adventure including John and Jim, but nothing really fleshed out enough for a full fic. If there had been a lot of interest in this, my muse may have been more inclined to following it up. Alas, she has been temperamental as of late. I will see if I can attempt to do a mini follow up, but I am not promising anything. I still have other fics to work on, so it all depends. If I do it will be a separate fic.

And please don't mistake my meaning. I am very grateful for all the reviewers, alerters, fave'ers and lurkers out there! I'm a big stat whore and it's been awesome seeing the hit counter go up with every post. Lol. So thank you all! Until next fic!

I bid you all ado,

~Ari :D


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